http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/category/letter.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.sj-r.com/opinions/x392614169/Letter-Smoke-free-law-under-attack http://tobacco.org/news/333633.html Once again, the health of Illinois citizens is under attack by an effort to weaken the Smoke-Free Illinois Act. Rep. Anthony DeLuca of Chicago Heights recently introduced a bill to allow businesses to buy smoking licenses from local liquor control commissioners. Another bill would allow bars, strip clubs and other establishments, for a fee, to apply for smoking licenses, provided they installed filtration systems for the air. According to the American Cancer Society, "This bill is a potential setback for the health and well-being of the people of Illinois. If adopted, residents throughout the state will be denied the life-saving, public health protections of the Smoke-Free Illinois Act."? The ACS firmly believes that everyone deserves the right to breathe clean air, free of the cancer-causing poisons known to exist in secondhand smoke. . . . Illinois workers' desire to work in a smoke-free environment and to shop, eat out and breathe clean air doesn't matter to DeLuca. We must put a stop to this and not allow Illinois lawmakers to put their special interests above our health. State Journal-Register Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.mlive.com/opinion/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/02/allegans_tobacco_ban_will_lead.html http://tobacco.org/news/333596.html Reading Rod Smith's article that Allegan County has banned tobacco use in parks with playground equipment puts a smile on my face. According to facts shared in the article, "the use of tobacco is the most preventable cause of death and disease in the United States… Secondhand smoke, cigarette butts and tobacco spit may be hazardous to people and animals." These are not facts to be taken lightly. I understand tobacco and smokeless tobacco users may be offended at such a law, and may feel their rights are being invaded. However, what about the rights of those who are being exposed to the harmful chemicals produced by tobacco usage? Furthermore, what about children (who can be most vulnerable) and their invasion of rights? Many children are not asked if they mind the secondhand smoke. Kalamazoo Gazette Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.postbulletin.com/news/stories/display.php?id=1486184 http://tobacco.org/news/333565.html I am writing in support of an increase in the Minnesota cigarette tax, a view supported in a Jan. 18 Post-Bulletin editorial. Minnesota has fallen behind with a tobacco tax that is middle of the road -- only 22nd in the country. Research has proven that increasing the price of tobacco is one of the most effective ways to keep kids from starting to smoke, and to encourage current users to quit. Rochester Post-Bulletin Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/feb/08/pleasures-of-tobacco-hockney http://tobacco.org/news/333534.html For every person who smoked and died young I can give you other names, especially in my own profession, who didn't: Picasso, Matisse, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, and a lot more (Letter, 1 February). Are there no doctors who would admit they haven't a clue why this is so? I for one am not sure medicine is a science – human beings are messy and all a little bit different, and I rejoice in that. . . . If Mr Chapman is concerned about children, this week's news that 3 million children in the US are on Ritalin, a drug prescribed for attention deficit disorder horrified me. I intend to stick with my far more natural, delicious, pleasure-giving tobacco. The Guardian arts.editor@guardianunlimited.co.uk Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.oudaily.com/news/2012/feb/05/letter-smokers-are-people-too-you-know/ http://tobacco.org/news/333465.html It seems like every day another disease is linked to smoking. Also, it smells terrible. I have watched the disgust on people’s faces whenever they have walked behind someone taking a drag. But just because my olfactory receptors are occasionally violated doesn’t mean I am going to hop on the crusade against smokers. In America, the rights of people in a minority are often ignored or abused. . . . The worst of all are the taxes on cigarettes. Someone always points out that every time a tax increase is passed revenue goes up and smoking declines. It seems completely unethical to raise funds from people doing something they can’t help but do. By the same logic, we could fight diabetes by raising the taxes on insulin. Think about it. Oklahoma Daily Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://chronicle.augusta.com/opinion/letters/2012-02-06/smoking-law-necessary?v=1328571226 http://tobacco.org/news/333405.html I have attended prior meetings concerning the proposed smoking ordinance, and as the final vote is scheduled for today, I have several questions. Who brought this smoking ordinance to the Augusta Commission in the first place? Was it a local concerned citizen who wrote a simple letter or stood up before the commission and asked that it be drafted? Could it have been lobbyists who get paid to travel from city to city in groups to skewer our government? Is this smoking ordinance necessary? We get it – smoking, among other things, is bad for you. But nobody is forcing a nonsmoker to be around it. Augusta Chronicle Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/feb/07/letters-smoking-ban-senseless-issue/ http://tobacco.org/news/333402.html Regarding the Feb. 1 Columbian story, “County commissioners reluctant to ban smoking in parks,” kudos to the board of Clark County Commissioners for rejecting an outdoor smoking ban. It’s too bad that with the horrible economy in Clark County, they have to work on such a senseless issue. Or that the city of Vancouver already has enacted a ban on smoking outdoors in parks, while ignoring high unemployment. Or that the county pays a lot of money to employ a director of public health who actually believes that outdoor cigarette smoking is a county health issue worthy of his time. Vancouver Columbian Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-commentary/2012/02/your_view_secondhand_smoke_for.html http://tobacco.org/news/333371.html I would like to commend and thank Birmingham City Councilman Johnathan Austin for his stand on smoking. He is speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves -- children, the elderly, the debilitated. To the writer of a Jan. 27 letter ("Smoking: No need to ban on private property," Your Views), I disagree with the statement that 75 percent of people don't smoke. For five years, I have not been able to go to my grandson's athletic events because of smokers. I have never smoked, but I have severe asthma and pulmonary disease. My dad was a chain smoker. Cigarette smoke brings on asthma attacks. . . . The writer says there's no proof secondhand smoke is harmful. Smokers, get your heads out of the sand and quit living in denial. You are killing your children, your family members and friends. I am forced to be a recluse because of smokers. I am angry and bitter. Birmingham News hstaudenmayer@comcast.net ( Linda Tipton Altoona) Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/Support creation smoke free spaces/6106380/story.html http://tobacco.org/news/333344.html I write to support Ottawa Public Health for introducing a bylaw that will eliminate smoking in outdoor spaces in Ottawa. The importance of limiting exposure to second-hand smoke has been recognized for many years. Ottawa has provided distinct leadership in addressing this important public health challenge in the past; the adoption of the proposed bylaw will continue that tradition of public health leadership. It is important to ensure that current and future generations of Ottawans are provided with the opportunity to enjoy smoke-free public spaces and facilities. Our children deserve no less. Evidence continues to accumulate Ottawa Citizen Canada Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/01/30/2628926/smoking-ban-needs-more-pragmatism.html http://tobacco.org/news/333277.html North Myrtle Beach City Council members thinking of voting against the city’s proposed ordinance based on their ideology that we need less government regulation, and should protect business owners above all, should take a closer look. Ironically, the smoking ban in North Myrtle Beach will be good for business, not bad for it. Numerous studies of municipalities that passed 100 percent smoking bans showed no decline in sales, measured by sales tax revenue paid before and after the bans. In many cases, revenues increased. . . . We need case-by-case, pragmatic solutions to today’s highly complex problems – a more carefully considered approach to lawmaking. In sum, leaders who adhere to a rigid ideology will prove dangerous to our communities, our economy and our nation. The proposed smoking ban for North Myrtle Beach is a common sense law that will both protect non-smokers and also be good for the local economy and business. It’s an idea whose time has come – a regulation, and a good one. Myrtle Beach Sun News online@thesunnews.com (Patrick Reynolds) Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Second hand smoke quality life/6100900/story.html http://tobacco.org/news/333272.html Re: Public health advises more smoke-free areas, Jan. 31. Quitting smoking isn't easy - but it is simple. . . . When I was 29, I confronted the mountain of medical evidence that linked smoking with many health problems and decided I could no longer include it in my life and consider myself an intelligent person. Since then the evidence against tobacco use has continued to grow almost exponentially. I picked a day two weeks away and told everyone it was the date on which I was going to quit. I stopped my 50-cigarettes-a-day habit and have never looked back. This year I will turn 79. I know that if I had not quit smoking I wouldn't be here today to write this letter. Ottawa Citizen Canada Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.timesheraldonline.com/opinion/ci_19892875 http://tobacco.org/news/333271.html Recently the American Lung Association in California released its annual "State of Tobacco Control Report" which issues grades for municipalities based on level of existing regulations to protect residents from tobacco and secondhand smoke. In this report, Vallejo received an "F." This means that Vallejo has much room for improvement in this area. Prohibiting smoking in all Vallejo parks and recreational areas is a step in providing a cleaner and healthier environment for all. Vallejo Times-Herald Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Encourage butting/6100904/story.html http://tobacco.org/news/333270.html Re: Stop forcing no smoking, Feb. 1. I think the majority of the Ottawa public are fed up with second-hand smoke and want the city to update and expand its smoke-free indoor bylaw, to include outdoor spaces. This is indeed a big issue. . . . I'm 61 years old, living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, with only 12-per-cent lung capacity left, and am waiting on a lung transplant waiting list for donor lungs, to be able to breathe. I'm on supplemental oxygen therapy at a two-and-a-half flow rate with additional corticosteroid and bronchodilator medication. Most smokers want to quit. Smoke-free spaces encourage them to quit. I'm looking forward to a smoke-free Ottawa. Ottawa Citizen Canada Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-commentary/2012/02/your_view_secondhand_smoke_for.html http://tobacco.org/news/333266.html I would like to commend and thank Birmingham City Councilman Johnathan Austin for his stand on smoking. He is speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves -- children, the elderly, the debilitated. To the writer of a Jan. 27 letter ("Smoking: No need to ban on private property," Your Views), I disagree with the statement that 75 percent... Full story » . . . The writer says there's no proof secondhand smoke is harmful. Smokers, get your heads out of the sand and quit living in denial. You are killing your children, ... Birmingham News Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jan/31/david-hockney-stick-to-painting?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487 http://tobacco.org/news/333250.html The 85% of Australian suburban non-smoking philistines whose taxes helped assist in the 1999 $4.9m purchase of his A Bigger Grand Canyon for the National Gallery in Canberra will be devastated to know that David Hockney thinks they don't cut the mustard as Bohemians (Letters, 27 January). Hockney's unctuous spray about efforts to reduce tobacco-caused disease was painfully deep in personal rationalisation. Like some Russian roulette survivor convinced the game is safe and that it makes him all interesting and insightful, he apparently cannot see past his own longevity as evidence that the case against smoking is exaggerated. Yes, we all die. But Richard Doll's 50-year British doctors cohort study showed half of long-term smokers die from a tobacco-caused disease, with those dying losing an average 12 years off normal life expectancy. Patrick Swayze (57), Nat King Cole (45), George Harrison (58), George VI (56), Betty Grable (56), Mary Wells (49), and Beach Boy Carl Wilson (51) were all lifetime smokers. Many who die from smoking, like those with emphysema, live wretched lives for years with their lungs shredded. The Guardian editor@societyguardian.co.uk (Professor Simon Chapman Sydney School of Public Health ) UK Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT